What is a squib in Harry Potter?

The wizarding world has many phrases, titles, and concepts to keep track of. One of them is how Harry Potter looks at squibs, but what are squibs and their role in society?

In an ordinary world exists another world everyday humans have no idea about. The Harry Potter franchise builds a magical fantasy known as the wizarding world where male and female wizards can cast spells, attend magical schools, and take on great evil.

Outside of wizards, boring humans are called Muggles. Throughout the franchise, muggles are looked down upon by wizards as vermin or less than them. But there’s another group of people called squibs in Harry Potter that are also looked down upon.

But why? What makes squibs so detestable to wizards? Let’s find out.

What’s a squib in Harry Potter?

A squib is a person born into a wizard family to at least one wizard parent but has no magical powers or abilities.

Even the wizarding world has its outcasts. In the same way, pureblood wizards hate muggles, there’s also distaste toward squibs. Per the Harry Potter Wiki, a squib is someone born without magical abilities, despite coming from one or two wizard parents. It’s often rare, but the few that are born that way are inherently hated by others.

Unlike muggles, they are still part of the wizarding world and know everything about it. The only problem is that they can’t practice magic. In Harry Potter, parents look for the earliest sign of a child’s magical abilities to ensure they aren’t a squib.

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This occurred with Neville Longbottom due to him being a late bloomer with his magic. Squibs are often looked down upon with even the Ministry of Magic not documenting their births. On many occasions, squibs are pushed to live a Muggle life to avoid being mocked by wizards.

Fans may remember that the Weasley family once talked about a family member who grew up a squib and migrated into the Muggle world to become an accountant. But even their depiction of them isn’t favorable.

Per the Harry Potter fandom Wiki, it’s believed that muggle-born wizards originated from Squibs marrying Muggles. The magic trait was still passed on to the children, with some being able to use magic.

There are a few known squibs in Harry Potter like Arabella Figg, Argus Filch, Marius Black, and The Thurkell Brothers.

For more breakdowns about the Harry Potter world, you can learn more about why Snape killed Dumbledore to how many Horcruxes exist in the franchise.